GECA News and Events

From Waste War to Recycling Reboot: National Recycling Week 2018

13 Nov 2018 4:00 pm

New research commissioned by Planet Ark has found that while the majority of Australians trust their kerbside recycling gets recycled, almost half of us aren’t sure of what happens to it and a significant proportion believe it goes mostly to landfill.

As China’s waste import ‘ban’ hits Australia and our population and waste levels continue to rise, recycling right matters now more than ever. This year Planet Ark is encouraging Australians to reboot their perspective on recycling.

During National Recycling Week (12 – 18 November), residents, businesses and organisations can take control of their recycling journey and discover the many elements of recycling that lie outside the public eye.

This year’s theme, From Waste War to Recycling Reboot, centres around resolving the confusion surrounding how to recycle right and what happens to our recycling once it has left our hands.

“National Recycling Week is the perfect time to reboot your recycling habits,” says Ryan Collins, Planet Ark’s Recycling Programs Manager. “Our research has revealed that despite 71% of people being confident in knowing what can and can’t be recycled, 61% would still like to learn more.”

Planet Ark’s Buy It Back Day on Saturday 17 November, encourages the community to celebrate mindful purchasing by buying something secondhand or buying a product made from recycled materials. Shoppers are encouraged to share their finds on social media with a photo and hashtags #BuyItBack and #NationalRecyclingWeek.

At GECA, our mission is to help consumers and organisations to make purchasing decisions that are GOOD for people and planet. Products certified under our Recycled Products standard prove that high-quality products can be made out of recycled materials.

According to our Standards & Technical Manager, Judith Schinabeck, “GECA’s Recycled Products standard helps save resources by encouraging and enforcing the use of a high amount of recycled materials.”

“We see a need to move towards a circular economy; our Waste Collection Services standard is the first step towards better recycling practices and our Recycled Products standard ensures that recycled materials are being used at a high-quality level.”

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